Haunted House For Sale

by Jane Monson

Catherine, a realtor, doesn't know she can see ghosts. She doesn't even believe in ghosts—until the day she shows a haunted house. Worse, she shows it to her friend Lori, who doesn't sense any ghost. What she senses is a deal, and now she wants to buy the house.

Catherine does everything she can to discourage her. But even when Catherine finds out the house was the scene of a murder not long ago, Lori doesn't care, unless that means she can get an even better price.

Every time Catherine goes to the house, the ghost begs her help, till she's drawn into investigating its murder. Catherine doesn't see how ghosts can do anything other than scare you but in case they can be dangerous, she wants the ghost gone before Lori moves in.

Novella, or long-ish short story.

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing at times in this book to be a little heavy and not as smooth as it could be in terms of story. There were, however, several things I liked about this story. The fact that Catherine can realize she is being silly and snapped herself out of it, the fact that the woman are not competing aganist each other. I picked this up for free and will try the next.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 STARS

Haunted House for Sale is a short novella (roughly 49 pages). This little e-book was a quick entertaining read. The author wrote Catherine's character in a not-so-serious, humorous, slightly sarcastic voice which reminds me a bit of J.R. Rain or P.J. Jones. The cover art for the book is cute and quirky and fits the tone of this novella.

I thought I had the whole “mystery” in this book figured out well before the ending, which was leaving me with a bit of a disappointed feeling—until the mystery unraveled and I realized I didn't have it quite so figured out. This was a plus and a nice surprise.

There was a few errors in grammar which aren't really worth mentioning. One thing that I found to be somewhat bothersome was the overuse of commas. It seemed to disturb the flow of the commentary and dialog at times.

Overall, I liked the story and think it would fit the bill if you are looking for a quick and entertaining read.

*I acquired this book through LibraryThing's member giveaway program.

[Mirrani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast but entertaining read if you like mysteries without much to them. I didn't feel that the characters were very deeply developed, but the mystery itself is the main focus of this short story, so the lack of depth there was easier to handle because of knowing that. There were one or two times when I thought that maybe I knew who the guilty party was, but I was surprised to discover that I was wrong, so the suspense held true for the most part. I'd quickly recommend this to anyone who's looking to spend an hour or two working out "who done it."

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Haunted House for Sale
Reviewed for GMTA
5 stars

A snappy, perky, fun read with serious meaning underlying the bright tone, “Haunted House for Sale” is totally enjoyable, and I definitely want to read more from author Jane Monson. Realtor Catherine has an opportunity to sell a home to a college friend, and unfortunately, the desired residence is haunted. That is, the former owner was murdered there, and she appears (repeatedly) to Catherine, who has never before experienced any kind of paranormal or Supernatural manifestation. The ghost wants justice-but more importantly, to know who killed her. The ex-husband is in jail awaiting trial, but the ghost says, “No, not him.” She’s not going to leave Catherine alone till Catherine solves the mystery, in the process encountering a hot detective who doesn’t want to believe in Supernatural manifestations.

With budding romantic potential, sensual tension, and twists and turns as sharp as a snaky road curve, “Haunted House for Sale” will capture reader’s attention and keep it intrigued.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. I initially got the first chapter just to try out but I was hooked from the get-go so I bought the book right away (only 99 cents!). It was a short book and things really happened fast but I really, really liked it. Catherine is a real estate agent. Jake is an investigating cop. They meet because she shows a house to a friend and it contains the ghost of the woman who was killed there, Krista. This is the first ghost that Catherine has ever seen, or talked to. She wants to sell the house but the ghost won't leave unless she finds out who killed her. She meets Jake and they are instantly attracted to each other.
I'm thinking this is the first book in the series (4 books so far!) and a good one at that. I've already downloaded the other 3 books (all under $1). They all appear to be short but that's okay. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

[wendy atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted house for sale

A very good story. Short enough to read in one sitting. Story flows very well. Good relationship between Catherine and Jake. Will read more from this author. Recommended for ghost, murder fans.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good short story.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining read.